If that was indeed the last game the Blazers play in Seattle it was not the way Nate McMillan would like to have gone out. Portland has looked awful in the last two meetings at Key Arena. The Blazers shot terribly in the second half and really missed LaMarcus Aldridge. It was an extremely forgettable loss in what could be the last game the Blazers play in the Emerald City.

The culprit was a mix of poor execution, shoddy passing, lackluster play and horrendous shot selection. If the Blazers didn't force a bad shot, it seemed, they settled for perimeter jump shots.

"Shot selection was a topic throughout this game," McMillan said. "We (relied) on a lot of one-on-ones as opposed to setting screens and (using) ball movement and (making) hard cuts and attacking (the defense). Shot selection was definitely a key all night."

The pattern in the second half -- almost identical to the problems Portland experienced in its last trip to Seattle -- showed a team whose inexperience continues create inconsistency in the Blazers' ability to make smart plays, play with energy and a sense of urgency, James Jones said.

"We're kinda just going through the motions, robot-like," Jones said. "Just getting to our spot because our sets say get to a spot, or just taking a shot because that's the shot we draw up on the board. We're not adjusting on the fly.

"Griff" handed out instructions to 109 members of Save Our Sonics, who sat and stood and chanted and held up signs. They were told to be positive and not be anti-Oklahoma City or anti-anything else. They wore black "SOS" T-shirts in a show of solidarity. They came in peace.

A more "radical" protest is planned for the April 6 game against Denver in which Save Our Sonics will encourage everyone to leave KeyArena after the third quarter.

Monday night, the Sonics were concerned enough that extra security was hired because of rumors that members of the group or other fanatics planned to storm the court at the end of the third quarter for a sit-in that could have stopped play.

City Council members unanimously approved a preliminary lease agreement with the Seattle SuperSonics Tuesday, hours before a planned visit by NBA commissioner David Stern.

The 15-year deal, contingent on the team's relocation to Oklahoma City, calls for the SuperSonics to pay the city $1.6 million annually to use the Ford Center and another $409,000 per year to be able to re-sell the arena's naming rights.

Suddenly Martell Webster, who scored 15 first-quarter points, no longer had open looks at the basket. LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 10 points at halftime, sprained his ankle midway through the period and Portland's inside game disappeared. And first-year All-Star Brandon Roy couldn't save the Blazers this time because he was smothered defensively.

In fact, the Sonics threw a blanket over the rim in the third quarter and allowed Portland a season-low 13.6 percent shooting. The Blazers converted just 3 of 22 field goals, which allowed Seattle to take control of the game.

Sonics chairman Clay Bennett is so eager to sever ties with Seattle that he's willing to leave the team's name, logo, colors and history behind to avoid a messy divorce.

During a breakfast meeting for team sponsors Friday at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Southern California, Bennett said he plans to influence the city to accept a buyout. He also told several sponsors that he wants to negotiate a settlement in which the city retains nearly everything associated with the Sonics except the players and coaches.